ABOUT US
Welcome to Access S2C!
We are excited to be part of the revolution of Spellers proving that non-speaking does not equal non-thinking! Our certified practitioners presume competence with every new student that walks through our door. We believe that communication is the key to independence and we work to provide the pathway for our Spellers to achieve their autonomy.
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We proudly serve non-speaking and minimally speaking individuals from age five and up with autism, apraxia, and other sensory, movement and communication challenges. Our Spelling to Communicate services facilitate the motor skills required for communication and daily living.
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Our mission is to enthusiastically support every Speller's human right to communication and self-advocacy and to continue to grow the community of Spellers in Ohio and worldwide. Everyone deserves to be heard!
MEET OUR TEAM
LEEANN
LeeAnn DiTomaso RN, BSN
Co-Founder, Access S2C
S2C Practitioner
LeeAnn received her bachelor of science in nursing from Ursuline College and has been a registered nurse for 24 years working in labor and delivery. She has always been passionate about helping others, which is why she decided to enter the Spelling to Communicate program. LeeAnn completed her training in 2022 rounding it out with a week-long internship at Growing Kids Therapy Center in Virginia where she was able to work with individuals and groups of Spellers.
LeeAnn’s desire is to create a community for the non-speaking, minimally speaking and unreliably speaking population. She has experience with Spellers of all ages and different levels of motor challenges. LeeAnn is passionate about creating a calming atmosphere and an individual plan for each of her students to help them reach their communication goals.
SAMANTHA
Samantha Paros
Co-Founder, Access S2C
S2C Practitioner
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Samantha began working with children with special needs in 2016 and loved the experience of engaging with this neurodiverse population, which is too often overlooked. For three years she worked as a one-on-one provider for a minimally-speaking autistic teen. Samantha traveled to his very first S2C session in Chicago and was immediately hooked! She knew this was her calling.​
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Samantha completed her training through the International Association for Spelling as Communication and became a certified practitioner in May, 2023! Her passion for bringing communication to those who need it most has become her life's vocation. Samantha is thrilled to work in partnership with LeeAnn, as they share the same vision and approach for working with their students. Together they both have big ambitions for growing the S2C community of Spellers in Ohio!
TINA
Tina DiTomaso
MSN, BSN, RN, AE-C
S2C Practitioner (In-Training)
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Tina received her bachelor's and master's degree in nursing at Ursuline College and is a certified asthma educator. She has been a registered nurse for 13 years specializing in pediatric patients of all ages, as well as children with special needs. She is currently in training to become a Spelling to Communicate Practitioner.
Tina decided to apply for the S2C program after observing LeeAnn and Samantha at Access S2C. She was blown away by the way their Spellers were able to communicate using letterboards and keyboards. She has always had a passion for helping others, therefore immediately after observing, she knew she wanted to make a difference in this growing community. She is excited to further her education in this field and be able to help our non-speaking, minimally speaking, and unreliably speaking individuals find their voice. Her mission is to continue growing this community of Spellers in Ohio and spreading the word about S2C!
KATIE
Katie McCandless
S2C Practitioner
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Katie earned her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences at Cleveland State University with a minor in Psychology. She has worked alongside the neurodiverse community since high school through clubs, camps, and schools. While on the Occupational Therapy track, trying to figure out how she can help individuals communicate best, she stumbled upon Spelling to Communicate through her good friend and hasn’t looked back. Katie became a certified Spelling to Communicate practitioner in 2023.
In studying human and health sciences, Katie has learned that there is more to the human body than what's on the outside. S2C has ignited a passion in her to work with and advocate for nonspeakers by helping them break through speech barriers. Katie has her torch held high to light the way for the S2C paradigm shift; releasing the brilliance of voices that would otherwise go unheard. Her mission is for the world to hear the voices of underestimated and speech-impaired individuals. They deserve a more meaningful life through access to reliable communication!
JESSICA
Jessica Elsing
Certified Adaptive Personal Trainer, 200-Hour Certified Yoga Instructor
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Jessica completed her 200-hour yoga instructor certification training in 2021. Her passion for yoga developed after the birth of her second child in 2016. Yoga brought a sense of peace and balance to her daily life, which she wished to share with others.
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Jessica and her family became immersed in the Spelling world in December 2021, when they traveled to Tampa for services for her oldest child, Marissa. She received parent training in Tampa that was unlike anything they had tried previously. Jessica was given a series of activities to complete at home, in addition to spelling. After gradually introducing more physical exercises into Marissa's life, she began to notice improvements across the board. Marissa was able to do things she had never done before, and her accuracy on the letter boards was improving.
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After several unsuccessful attempts to find a suitable exercise program in Ohio for Marissa, Jessica decided to take matters into her own hands. Along with sharing the gift of yoga with the world, she will share the benefits of physical movement with Spellers as a Certified Adaptive Personal Trainer.
MARLENE
Marlene Kole
Office Administrator
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Marlene's interest in Access S2C was first peaked by social media, viewing the Spellers Documentary, and reading the book, Underestimated. Prior to these experiences, while serving as the Director of Faith Church Preschool for 13 years, she often felt drawn to the child who struggled and needed extra assistance to succeed. She began her retirement three years ago, after serving as Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Highland Heights.
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Once retired, She felt the need to volunteer in areas where she felt strong compassion or affiliation. She is currently a NICU baby cuddler at UH, a volunteer with Hospice of the Western Reserve, working on reading skills with kindergarten students, and mentoring with a Ukranian student to develop fluid conversational English.
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After meeting with LeeAnn and Samantha of Access S2C, Marlene has agreed to help them, in a volunteer capacity, with administrative tasks to allow them more free time for the important stuff of working with students!
Marlene and her husband, Jeff, live in Highland Heights, where they raised two daughters who have successfully flown from the nest. In her free time, she likes to read, travel, knit, and she is currently learning to play the cello!
Our Practitioners are all certified by the International Association for Spelling as Communication. I-ASC offers Practitioner training in Spelling to Communicate (S2C), a method for teaching purposeful motor skills for communication for individuals with autism, down syndrome, and other sensory-motor challenges as a means of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
YOUR KEY TO OPEN COMMUNICATION!